Happy, Healing Visit for Former Bannister Family House Residents

May 29, 2009 |

Australian Couple Returns to San Diego “On Holiday”

The last time Judy and Peter Schneider “visited” in San Diego County, their 26-year-old son, Robert, was fighting for life. On February 27, 2008, Robert suffered serious burns, a fractured face and brain trauma after being beaten and thrown in a fire pit in Ocean Beach. That night, he had been celebrating his birthday.

Robert’s parents have always credited his survival to the “world-class, state-of-the-art care and kindness” he received at UC San Diego’s Regional Burn Center. Now 27, Robert is home in Adelaide, working, driving and surfing once again.

“It’s not been easy,” said mom, Judy Schneider. “He’s very active by nature and wanted to be up, doing and going. He would say, ‘I’m going to go…’ and I would have to say ‘Oh, no you’re not! It’s been a long process. We’re still healing.”

In mid-May 2009, the Schneider’s returned to San Diego for purely joyful reasons… to bring their family (son Michael, daughter-in-law Natalie, and three grandchildren), to the United States for a long vacation. They stayed with the Gregory family who helped organize a fund raiser last year for Robert at Bondi Bar in the Gaslamp quarter.

“I offered them my home a long time ago and I’m glad they’ve finally taken me up on the offer,” said Carl Gregory.

Bannister Family House director, Denise Capozzi, arranged for Regional Burn Center and other medical team members to lunch with the Schneiders on authentic Mexican food from a neighborhood restaurant.